Governance

A key element of the 4C Association is its participatory decision-making process. Grouped into three chambers – Producer, Trade and Industry, and Civil Society - all stakeholders are equally represented in every governance organ and have equal decision-making powers.

Council

The Council is the association’s strategic decision-making body and is elected by the General Assembly.

Producer Representatives

Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa

AFCA (Chairperson)

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Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa

AFCA (Chairperson)

Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa is the Founder and CEO of the Africa Coffee Academy, Chairman of the 4C Association, Director of African Fine Coffees Association [AFCA], Director of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, Vice President of the Uganda Coffee Federation and a Master Trainer in Coffee Sustainability Standards and Coffee Price Risk Management.

Robert has been involved in the 4C Association since its inception in 2003. In 2004, he worked with GIZ officials to hold the first sustainability workshop in Livingstone, Zambia, to present the objectives and activities of a baseline sustainability standard for the industry. In addition, Robert was one of the first three Master Trainers in Africa that were trained on the 4C Code of Conduct. He has conducted over 20 training workshops on the 4C Code for coffee producers and traders all over Africa.

As Chairman of the 4C Association and council representative for African Producers, Robert is committed to expanding training opportunities for smallholder farmers and advocating for national coffee associations and authorities in Africa to embrace the 4C Code of Conduct.

Adriana Mejía Cuartas

FNC

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Adriana Mejía Cuartas

FNC

Adriana Mejía Cuarta belongs to a fourth generation coffee-growing family from Colombia and has worked with the National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers (FNC) since 1999. Her experience lies in project design, Public Private Partnership (PPP) programs, fundraising, and commercial activities. She has been involved in all projects related to sustainability standards, social investment and rural investment.

Adriana was responsible for the design of the first 4C project in Colombia. Since then, she has followed the ongoing development of the 4C Association and promoted the creation of 4C Units in Colombia.

Her vision for a sustainable coffee sector is one where "all actors along the supply chain share not only value but also risk. It is important to balance the interests of all stakeholders, providing producers tools to manage their farms as small businesses in a more cost efficient and productive way".

Alexandre Vieira Costa Monteiro

Cooxupé

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Alexandre Vieira Costa Monteiro

Cooxupé

Alexandre has 25 years of experience working for Cooxupé – the largest coffee cooperative in the world with over 12.000 members and the largest exporter of green coffee in Brazil. Over the last 10 years, Alexandre has been in charge of coordinating sustainability programs related to the 4C Code of Conduct, Nespresso, C.A.F.E. Practices, Nescafe Plan, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ Certified.

Gustavo Magaña

El Saitillal S. A. de C. V

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Gustavo Magaña

El Saitillal S. A. de C. V

Gustavo has been the CEO of El Saitillal S.A. de C.V. for the last 20 years. El Saitillal S.A. de C.V. is a family owned business that is dedicated to the farming, milling and exporting of coffee from the Ilamatepec mountain range located in western El Salvador for five generations. Two of his main concerns as CEO of the family group have been focusing on producing high quality coffee and making sure it’s produced employing good practices. I took the mission of certifying all of our farms with the 4C Association, Rainforest Alliance, C.A.F.E. Practices, and Single Origin: Apaneca - Ilamatepec.

Trade & Industry Representatives

Linda Butler

Nestlé S.A. (Vice Chair)

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Linda Butler

Nestlé S.A. (Vice Chair)

Linda Butler is the Coffee Sustainability Manager at Nestlé S.A. She has over 30 years of working experience in the coffee sector and has been involved in the 4C Association since its inception in 2003. When the 4C Association was legally founded at the end of 2006, she became a Council member representing the Trade and Industry Chamber and has been involved in all the major decision-making processes of the organization.

As a 4C Council Member, Linda is committed to contributing to the growth and improvement of the 4C Association into the future. Linda's vision for a sustainable coffee sector is "The key elements to secure future success are to be able to mainstream the volumes of sustainably produced coffee to meet the demands for the industry while ensuring that benefits are truly realized for farmers. This will enable the development of sustainably produced coffee for the whole sector".

Cornel Kuhrt

Tchibo GmbH

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Cornel Kuhrt

Tchibo GmbH

Cornel Kuhrt has over 20 years of experience working in the coffee sector and was closely involved in the inception of the 4C Association as a member of the original PPP project’s management team in 2002. In her role as a member of the 4C Council, Cornel helps drive the future success of the 4C Association by increasing the recognition of the 4C Code of Conduct as a credible and trustworthy entry-level sustainability standard for the coffee industry and to position the 4C Association as the leading multi-stakeholder sustainability platform for the coffee sector.

Nadia Hoarau-Mwaura

Mondelēz International

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Nadia Hoarau-Mwaura

Mondelēz International

More information to come.

Nicolas Tamari

Sucafina

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Nicolas Tamari

Sucafina

More information to come.

Civil Society Representatives

Albrecht Schwarzkopf

CIR (Treasurer)

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Albrecht Schwarzkopf

CIR (Treasurer)

Albrecht Schwarzkopf is the Finance Director of the Christian Initiative Romero (CIR) and has been directly engaged in the development of the 4C Association since its beginning in 2003. When the 4C Association was founded at the end of 2006, he became a member of the Council, representing the Civil Society Chamber, and has been involved in all major decision-making processes since then.

As a member of the 4C Council, Albrecht's main focus is to defend the interests of small coffee farmers, ensuring that the benefits of sustainable coffee production continue to reach them and contribute to the improvement of their living and working conditions.

Han de Groot

UTZ Certified

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Han de Groot

UTZ Certified

More information to come.

Edward Millard

Rainforest Alliance

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Edward Millard

Rainforest Alliance

Edward Millard is Director of Strategic Partnerships at Rainforest Alliance, based in London and responsible for developing opportunities with donors, companies and other key stakeholders to grow Rainforest Alliance’s work promoting sustainable land management and secure livelihoods in high biodiversity countries. Previously, he was a business development manager for Oxfam Fair Trade and Conservation International. Edward is a graduate in business administration and has published three books and several articles on small-scale business development. He is a Council member of the 4C Association and a board member of Goodweave International, an international body to eradicate child labor in the rug weaving industry.

Technical Committee

The Technical Committee recommends modifications and revisions of the Code of Conduct, and assesses the conceptual quality and impact of the Entry-level Standard's services, tools, technical documents and capacity development activities.

Producer Representatives

Dr. Joseph Kimemia

CRF

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Dr. Joseph Kimemia

CRF

Dr. Joseph Kimemia holds a PhD in Crop Science that concentrated on sustainable coffee farming systems and brings 24 years of experience in coffee research, dissemination and training to the 4C Association. Dr. Kimemia’s involvement in certification programs in Kenya and wide networks within the coffee sector and government systems have been valuable to advancing the work of the 4C Association, especially in the Eastern Africa region. In the past, he has organized 4C farmer meetings, given training on sustainability issues and climate change, presented research papers on climate change, and facilitated the 3rd African Coffee Sustainability Forum in Kampala in 2012. He eventually became an individual member of the Association in 2013.

Dr. Kimemia joins the Technical Committee and looks forward to facilitating exchange on issues such as coffee field management, mitigation and adaptation for climate change as well as intergovernmental and institutional linkages at national and international level. He envisions a sustainable coffee sector in which every coffee farmer will be able to reap the benefits of their work on the coffee fields in order to put a sensible meal on the table and realize personal dreams for better livelihoods.

Cesar Augusto C. Candiano

AGROECO

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Cesar Augusto C. Candiano

AGROECO

Cesar Augusto Correa Candiano has been an Agronomist working with coffee farms for 20 years. Since 2003, Cesar has focused on sustainability and preparing coffee farms for various verification and certification schemes such as the 4C Association, UTZ Certified, and Rainforest Alliance. From 1997 to 2010, Cesar worked with Cooparaiso advising coffee producers on Good Agricultural Practices, specialty coffee production and the certification of warehouses. Cesar has also worked for Experimental Agricola do Brasil Ltda/ILLY as a Specialty Coffee Consultant for the South Minas and Mogiana regions, concentrating on specialty coffee production, post-harvest and sustainability programs.

Cesar has gained specializations in Coffee Business by UFLA (1997), Environmental Impact Evaluation by UEMG (2001), and Management on Coffee Agribusiness by PENSA/FIA/Universitá del Caffeé (2013).

As Cooparaiso's 4C Unit representative and coordinator, Cesar has been involved with the 4C Association since 2007. He has organized 4C Producer meetings, provided trainings on the 4C Entry-level Standard to agronomists and technicians of Cooparaiso and assisted in the Code Revision process in Brazil this year.

Trade & Industry Representatives

Juan Camilo Ramos

Racafe & CIA S.C.A

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Juan Camilo Ramos

Racafe & CIA S.C.A

Juan Camilo Ramos became passionate about the coffee business when he joined the sector more than 10 years ago. Starting out as an Industrial Engineer with the National Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers (FNC), he would later move on to work in the coffee importing business in Europe. For the last two years, he has been with RACAFE, a leading coffee exporter committed to sustainability.

Juan Camilo has been an active part of the 4C Association since 2008, contributing to the last Code revision process as part of the former Technical Committee and participating in the different bodies of the 4C Association’s governance structure. Juan Camilo would like to support and see the association look into ways to encourage all the stakeholders not only to enter the platform but to stay in it and work on the continuous improvement process. He envisions a sector in which the producers have access to state of the art practices in coffee culture resulting in high productivity with a low environmental footprint while contributing to the social development of their communities.

Jonathan Wyndham Clark

Volcafe

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Jonathan Wyndham Clark

Volcafe

Jonathan Clark graduated from the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, UK, in 1992. Having worked in Arabica sourcing in Tanzania and Kenya for 5 years , he joined Dakman at the end of 2000 and became its General Director in 2002. Dakman had the first 4C Unit worldwide in 2007 and works very closely with farmers and collectors to improve quality and professionalism in the field as well as in Dakman’s own mill.

Jonathan has a close working relationship with Nestle, Kraft, Tchibo, Strauss and other roaster members, using his extensive experience to provide constructive input into major development processes of the 4C Association. Through his participation in the new Technical Committee, Jonathan would like to focus on identifying weaknesses in the supply chain and improving them. Jonathan envisions a coffee sector with a more professional supply chain. A sector in which mainstream sustainability is on a pre-competitive basis, including a market mechanism in each origin to reward farmers for better quality coffee, and one that addresses current issues affecting it.

Civil Society Representatives

John Schluter

Café Africa (Chair)

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John Schluter

Café Africa (Chair)

John Schluter has worked in the purchase, processing and export marketing of coffee in Eastern Africa for nearly 15 years. After managing a family coffee trading company and its associated companies for many years, John started a small NGO, Café Africa, in 2006, which has the objective of supporting Africa’s coffee industry to recover both its vision and capacity to respond to growing global demand and to improve the incomes of the many smallholder farmers involved in the sector. Café Africa was a founding member of the 4C Association.

As Chairman of the newly formed Technical Committee (TC), John sees the upcoming Code Revision as a marvelous opportunity to build on the excellent work already done and establish an entry-level standard which can become a sustainability reference for all sectors of the industry, particularly producers. With UTZ Certified, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade having joined the 4C Association, and their openness to work together, the Code Revision comes at a very timely moment.

John would like to see a sustainable coffee sector which will preserve the planet for future generations. One that will protect the people who work in and depend on it, and provide a profit that is both adequate and just for every stakeholder in the value chain, especially the smallholder farmers who account for such a large share of global production, and who may be least able to safeguard their own interests.

Michelle Deugd

Rainforest Alliance

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Michelle Deugd

Rainforest Alliance

Michelle Deugd is an Agronomist with 16 years of experience in sustainable agriculture in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Her fields of expertise are in technical assistance, good agricultural practices, management of rural projects, and the monitoring and evaluation of socio-economic impacts. She currently holds the position of Senior Manager of Sustainable Agriculture Practices in the Sustainable Agriculture Division of Rainforest Alliance where she supports the technical teams with the integration of technical and financial knowledge into sustainable practices.

Rainforest Alliance, as a founding member of the 4C Association, has always had a close and constructive relationship with the 4C Association. Since 2008, the benchmarking agreement between the two has helped Rainforest Alliance Certified farmers opt for a second alternative, obtaining 4C verification. Michelle actively participated in the construction of this relationship through activities at origin, including the development of the “Step Wise approach from 4C to RAC”. Michelle’s strong knowledge of the Sustainable Agricultural Network standards and the 4C Code of Conduct therefore make her a valuable bridge between Rainforest Alliance and the 4C Association. She continues to lead projects that promote the implementation of both standards, training farmers on best practices related to their compliance in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Lennie Van Doren

UTZ Certified

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Lennie Van Doren

UTZ Certified

Lennie van Dooren is a Standards & Certification Officer at UTZ certified and has been closely involved in several aspects of the UTZ Certified code revision process, which ranged from facilitating multi-stakeholder code revision workshops in origin, to processing the stakeholder feedback into improved requirements. She is currently providing several trainings to internal staff and certification bodies on their new code. Having previously conducted an impact study among farmers producing Fairtrade and organic coffee in Guatemala, Lennie brings valuable input into the dialogue of the 4C Technical Committee.

Mediation Board

The Mediation Board is responsible for settling disputes arising from the misinterpretation of, or the failure to respect, the Statutes of the 4C Association, its Rules of Participation and the Code of Conduct.

Chairperson/Ombudsman

Wolfgang Heinricy

WhyCom GmbH

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Wolfgang Heinricy

WhyCom GmbH

Wolfgang has more than 30 years in top management positions within the global commodity trading industry and has held numerous advisory roles for key coffee bodies. His expertise lies with the organization and implementation of business models and structures, risk management, and execution of corporate social responsibility strategies for international businesses.

Wolfgang has previously been the CEO of Bernhard Rothfos GmbH, Global Head of Marketing at Lous Dreyfus Commodities, and a member of the presidium and executive board of the German Coffee Association, all extremely important long-standing members of the 4C Association. Being an Individual Member since 2012, he has also participated in multiple key workshops and General Assemblies.

As Chair of the Mediation Board, Wolfgang is committed to ensuring fair and transparent procedures in case of possible conflicts with the intention to protect the integrity of the 4C Association.

Producer Representatives

Joseph J. Taguma

Zambia Coffee Growers Association

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Joseph J. Taguma

Zambia Coffee Growers Association

Joseph gained a BA in Economics and Business Administration at the University of Zambia and has specialized in coffee quality assessment and marketing of Arabica coffee for the past 29 years. Joseph is a part of the Zambian Government advisory team, a representative at the International Coffee Organization, a Board member of the Coffee Board of Zambia and the African Fine Coffee Association, and a contributor to the 4C Association’s operational instruments. He is presently working for the Zambia Coffee Growers Association as the General Manager.

​Mathias Nabutele

Coffee a Cup Cooperative

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​Mathias Nabutele

Coffee a Cup Cooperative

Mathias Nabutele is the Chairman of COFFEE A CUP (Community Organized Farmers From Elgon Escarpment Arabica Coffee Uganda Program) which he founded in 2007.

COFFEE A CUP is a Fairtrade certified cooperative and a 4C Producer, operating in 6 districts of Mt. Elgon, Uganda and has been implementing a one million coffee plant scheme every year for the past three years. It has also started piloting a carbon credit project with clean energy through efficient cooking stoves and intends to raise its membership to 10,000 households by 2015.

​Ernesto Lima Mena

Cooperativa Cuzcachapa de R.L.

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​Ernesto Lima Mena

Cooperativa Cuzcachapa de R.L.

Ernesto Lima Mena is an Attorney at Law with an LLM Degree from Notre Dame University. Having been a member of the International Court of Arbitration in Paris and a member of the London Court of International Arbitration, he now serves on the Board of Directors at Cooperativa Cuzcachapa in El Salvador.

Trade & Industry Representatives

Yoshikatsu Ideguchi

Kanematsu Corp.

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Yoshikatsu Ideguchi

Kanematsu Corp.

Yoshikatsu Ideguchi is the General Manager of Food Division at Kanematsu GmbH. He has worked in the Japanese coffee market for 11 years and has close relationships with not only the major players but also micro roasters. Yoshikatsu has extensive knowledge of coffee producing countries and sustainable agricultural farms and was formerly a chairman of the Sustainability & Certified Coffee Committee of SCAJ. As a member of the 4C Mediation Board, he will be contributing actively to the healthy development of a sustainable coffee industry.

Reiles Zapata Ramos

Comercio & CIA S.A.

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Reiles Zapata Ramos

Comercio & CIA S.A.

Reiles Zapata Ramos has 30 years of experience working in the Peruvian coffee sector and is involved in coffee cultivation in a wide spectrum – from the management of coffee producers, through to the stages of planning, organization, implementation and commissioning of wide business proposals on a local and regional level. Additionally, Reiles is involved in managing the construction of strategic alliances within the coffee chain of major companies. Reiles studied Economics at the National University of Trujillo and has worked at Commerce & Cia since 2002.

​Le Duc Huy

Simexco Daklak Ltd.

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​Le Duc Huy

Simexco Daklak Ltd.

Le Duc Huy Joined Simexco Daklak in 2008 as a Training Advisor and is now the Deputy General Director.

Andree Jürgens

Melitta Europa GmbH & Co. KG

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Andree Jürgens

Melitta Europa GmbH & Co. KG

Andree Jürgens has more than 20 years of experience in the coffee sector, principally with through German coffee roasters, and has been responsible for the purchasing, blending and quality control. He has been dedicated to the subject of sustainability since starting in the coffee sector.

Civil Society Representatives

​Annemieke Wijn

Anchor Consult

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​Annemieke Wijn

Anchor Consult

Annemieke Wijn is a principal at Anchor-Consult in Bremen, Germany. Previously she was the Senior Director for commodity sustainability at Mondelez International and responsible for strategies and programs to improve the sustainability of the company’s agricultural supply base. In her thirty years with the company, she worked both in Research & Development (VP R&D Europe) and in commercial management (GM Germany) of coffee and other food brands.

She is a board member of the Rainforest Alliance and of the Hanns R. Neumann foundation. She is also a past president of the German Coffee Association.

​Anne Sophia Mukua

Fair Trade Organization Kenya (FTOK)

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​Anne Sophia Mukua

Fair Trade Organization Kenya (FTOK)

Anne Sophia Mukua is involved in the overall management and strategic direction of the Fair Trade Organization of Kenya (FTOK). Supporting initiatives for sustainable production systems, identifying potential markets and creating market linkages for Cooperatives supported by FTOK, Anne has a vision for creating transparent systems in production as well as markets.

Franziska Humbert

Oxfam Germany

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Franziska Humbert

Oxfam Germany

Having completed a Master in Law and Development (L.L.M.) at the University College London, Franziska Humbert began work as a lawyer specializing in media, competition and labour law. At the same time, she did her PhD in International Economic Law at the University of Berne. In 2004, she began to work at Oxfam Germany as a Policy Advisor on corporate social responsibility.

Franziska has been involved in setting up the 4C Association, as well as cooperating with clothes and textiles companies such as Puma or Otto and the retail trade, where she is currently engaging with supermarkets. In addition to her work at Oxfam, Franziska participated as a research fellow in a Swiss academic research project on trade regulation in the field of trade and human rights at the University of Zurich. In 2011, she was also a teacher in international economic law at the University of Zurich.

Non-Affiliated

​Surendra Kotecha

Industry Coffee Advisor

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​Surendra Kotecha

Industry Coffee Advisor

Surendra Kotecha is an experienced coffee industry advisor offering over 40 years of working knowledge. He has an Honours degree in Agriculture from the University of Reading, UK, which he followed with six years growing, planting & farm processing in Uganda and India. He went on to lead a London based trading group in 1975 for 18 years and Uganda EDFMan Exports in 1993 for two years. From 2003 to 2004 he was Advisor at the GoVietnam Project, restructuring 57 state owned enterprises under the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Trade with a National Steering Committee for Enterprise Restructuring & Development. Surendra has also been a Chief Technical Adviser for UNOPS in Nairobi and a Senior Trade Adviser to the World Bank. From 2010 to 2012 he worked with the 4C Association as Global Value Chain Adviser.